Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act
Congress Proposes Ending Waiting Period for Terminally Ill Social Security Disability Applicants
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill would let people with incurable terminal illnesses start receiving Social Security disability payments immediately. Currently, most people have to wait five months after becoming disabled before their checks start arriving.
- To get the money faster, people would have to agree to a permanent 7% pay cut in their monthly benefits. This choice would only be available for specific conditions where doctors expect the person to live five years or less and there is no known cure.
- The bill would stop people from receiving both disability benefits and unemployment checks at the same month. If someone qualifies for both, their disability payment would be reduced to zero for that month.
- The Social Security Administration would no longer be able to add new diseases to the fast-track 'Compassionate Allowance' list on its own. Instead, Congress would have to pass a law to approve any new medical conditions added to that list.
- If the government accidentally pays someone too much money, they often take the full amount back from future checks. This bill allows the government to take a smaller amount—at least 10%—if taking the whole check would cause too much financial hardship.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Programs
The bill creates a new rule: if you're collecting Social Security disability benefits and also receive unemployment compensation in the same month, your disability payment drops to zero for that month. This also zeroes out any benefits your family members receive based on your work record. While relatively few people collect both at the same time, those who do — often people navigating complex transitions between work and disability — would lose a significant income source.
Disabilities
Broader Impacts
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.